SCISSOR GUARD 1940

Alexander Calder’s ‘Scissor Guard’ is a delicate dance in metal, bending this way and that. It's all about the line for Calder, a joyful squiggle in brass wire. Look how he coaxes the metal into form, playing with zigzags and curves, all from a simple piece of wire. There's a delightful improvisation at play here. Notice how at one end, the line spirals into itself, a tight coil that gives way to angles that open up the composition. Then further along it becomes a kind of wave, or a soft, gentle meander. I love how something so functional can also be so playful, its small scale is reminiscent of Paul Klee, who also worked with delicate lines. It reminds us that art can be found in the everyday, that anything can be transformed with a little imagination. It’s a celebration of the unexpected, a reminder that sometimes the simplest gestures can be the most profound.